Varley evR-450 Electric Supercar set for 2012 launch

Australia has a new home-grown electric supercar. The recently announced Varley evR-540 is handbuilt around an aluminum monocoque chassis and powered by locally developed and engineered twin Carbon ironless core AC motors with Tritium Wavesculptor inverters claimed to be up to 95% efficient. The performance of this lightweight 2-seat mid-engine coupe is impressive - it's capable of accelerating from from zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.8 seconds and can reach a top speed of 180 km/h (112 mph), which puts it in the same league as the Tesla Roadster).

While the evR450 is expected to be available soon, Varley Electric Vehicles will initially be taking orders for a sport variant, the evS450, in January 2012. Although similar to the evR, the evS450 has a slightly lower spec. with top speed of 160 km/h (99 mph) and 0-100 km time of 4.6 seconds.

"We wanted to give our customers the option of a sport version as not everyone is comfortable with a race-spec car for day-to-day driving. Drivers will have access to 24kWh of battery energy, enabling them to travel up to 160 kilometers (100 miles - combined cycle) before having to recharge," said John Bettini, Manager of the Electric Vehicles Division.

The car can be recharged in eight hours using a standard 15-amp power point. Faster charging capabilities will appear in future products when available.

"Motorists today tend to drive less than 40 kilometres per day, so 160 kilometres range will be plenty for most drivers. Those wanting to take the evR for a Sunday joy ride should have no trouble driving for a few hours."

Pricing for the Varley evS450 is expected to be under AUD200,000 (US$200,000).

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